TULSA CORRALS MUSTANGS WITH 40-31 WIN

Saturday, October 31

Dallas, TX

3:00 p.m.

Tulsa

4-4 , 1-3

SMU

1-7 , 0-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

SMU

Photo by: Brett Rojo

TULSA CORRALS MUSTANGS WITH 40-31 WIN

10/31/2015 8:01:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Eric Hollier

Final Stats | Notes | Quotes

Dallas, Texas –– Zack Langer scored three touchdowns and Kerwin Thomas had an interception return for a touchdown in Tulsa's 40-31 win over the SMU Mustangs Saturday afternoon in front of 18,217 fans at Ford Stadium.

Trailing 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, Tulsa scored 20 of the next 27 points to take a 23-21 lead going into halftime. The Hurricane added 10 points in the third period for a 33-24 lead, while Langer's one-yard run put Tulsa that much closer to the victory with 10:08 remaining in the contest.

Tulsa evened its season record to 4-4 and captured its first win in American Athletic Conference action to go to 1-3 in the league. SMU fell to 1-7 and 0-4.

Tulsa's offense amassed 419 total yards with 240 through the air and 179 on the ground. Dane Evans completed 19-of-27 passes with seven of those passes going to Justin Hobbs for 150 yards. D'Angelo Brewer had 119 rushing yards to lead the Hurricane. The Tulsa defense stepped up huge for the Hurricane, scoring on an interception and after giving up 132 yards and 14 points on SMU's first two possessions, the defense clamped down and allowed SMU 174 yards and 17 points on 12 remaining drives.

After SMU muffed a punt in the second half, Tulsa took possession at the SMU 28-yard line and took nine plays to score when Langer went in for his second touchdown run of the game, making the score 30-21 with 8:24 let on the third quarter clock.

The two teams traded field goals on their next possessions, SMU making from 37 yards and Tulsa from 44 yards, as the Hurricane took a 33-24 lead into the fourth quarter. SMU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Matt Davis hit Courtland Sutton on an 18-yard toss in the corner of the end zone, cutting the Tulsa lead to two points, 33-31.

Tulsa took the subsequent possession 75 yards in 11 plays to boost its lead to nine points at 40-31 with 10:08 remaining on the game clock when Langer scored on a one-yard run for his third rushing TD of the game.

The Hurricane defense held SMU on its' three final possessions in the last 9:58 of the game, forcing a 3-andout, a 6-play, 15-yard drive that resulted in a missed field goal and a 17-play, 70-yard drive that ended at the Tulsa 20-yard line on fourth-and-goal.

SMU took the game's opening kickoff 72 yards in 11 plays for a 7-0 lead as Matt Davis threw the final five yards to Courtland Sutton.

Tulsa took the subsequent possession 85 yards in 20 plays in 7:13 for its longest scoring drive by plays and time for the season. The Hurricane, however, had to settle for a 21-yard Redford Jones field goal, cutting the Mustangs lead to 7-3.

SMU went ahead 14-3 on its second possession going 60 yards in seven plays, as Davis connected with Jeremiah Gaines on a 13-yard pass in the end zone.

As SMU was driving again in Tulsa territory Tulsa's Petera Wilson stuffed Darrel Colbert for a one-yard loss at the 37-yard line on fourth-and-one. The Hurricane took the ball and marched 63 yards for its second score of the game, making the score 14-10. After a 61-yard completion from Evans to Hobbs to the SMU two-yard line, Langer rushed in from two yards out for his 12^th touchdown run of the season.

Thomas gave Tulsa its first lead of the game, 16-14, at the 2:33 mark when he took an interception 31 yards to the end zone for a score.

SMU quickly re-took the lead at 21-16 when Xavier Jones completed a halfback pass 39 yards to Xavier Castille at the 1:12 mark, capping a four-play, 65-yard drive in taking just 1:14 off the clock.

With 1:12 remaining in the first half, Tulsa took possession at the 25-yard line and used 0:53 to march 75 yards in five plays as Brewer went 23 yards for a Tulsa score, and the longest TD run from scrimmage since the 2012 season.

At the intermission, Tulsa had a slight edge in total offense, gaining 231 yards on 40 plays while SMU had 221 yards on 41 plays. Tulsa's Hobbs went over the 100-yard receiving mark in the first 30 minutes with 108 yards on four carries, while Brewer had 53 first-half yards.

Tulsa returns home to H.A. Chapman Stadium next Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. game against the UCF Knights.